Stackpole, Michael A(ustin) 1957-

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STACKPOLE, Michael A(ustin) 1957-

PERSONAL: Born November 27, 1957, in Wausau WI; son of James Ward (a physician) and Janet (an educator and community volunteer; maiden name, Kerin) Stackpole; companion of Elizabeth Turner Danforth (an artist). Ethnicity: "Caucasian/Irish-American." Education: University of Vermont, B.A., 1979. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Indoor soccer, arena football, gaming, shooting.

ADDRESSES: Agent—Ricia Mainhardt, 612 Argyle, No. 5-L, Brooklyn, NY 11230.

CAREER: Flying Buffalo, Inc., Scottsdale, AZ, game designer, 1979-87; writer, 1987—.

MEMBER: Game Manufacturers Association (chairperson of Industry Watch Committee), Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Academy of Gaming Arts and Design, Phoenix Skeptics (executive director, 1988—).

AWARDS, HONORS: H. G. Wells Awards, best role playing adventure, 1983, for Citybook I, and 1984, for Stormhaven; Best Adventure Game, Computer Gaming World, 1988, for Wasteland, and 1989, for Neuromancer; Wasteland was inducted into the Computer Gaming World's Hall of Fame, 1993; Meritorious Service Award, Game Manufacturers Association, 1993; inducted into Academy of Gaming Arts and Design Hall of Fame, 1994.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Natural Selection, FASA Corp. (Chicago, IL), 1992.

Assumption of Risk, FASA Corp. (Chicago, IL), 1993.

Bred for War, FASA Corp. (Chicago, IL), 1994.

Once a Hero, Bantam (New York), 1994.

Mutant Chronicles: Dementia, FASA Corp. (Chicago, IL), 1994.

Malicious Intent, FASA Corp. (Chicago, IL), 1996.

"WARRIOR" SERIES

Warrior: En Garde, FASA Corp. (Chicago, IL), 1988.

Warrior: Riposte, FASA Corp. (Chicago, IL), 1988.

Warrior: Coupe, FASA Corp. (Chicago, IL) 1989.

"BLOOD OF KERENSKY" SERIES

Lethal Heritage, FASA Corp. (Chicago, IL), 1990.

Blood Legacy, FASA Corp. (Chicago, IL), 1990.

Lost Destiny, FASA Corp. (Chicago, IL), 1991.

"DARK CONSPIRACY" SERIES

A Gathering Evil, Game Designers Workshop (Bloomington, IL), 1991.

Evil Ascending, Game Designers Workshop (Bloomington, IL), 1991.

Evil Triumphant, Game Designers Workshop (Bloomington, IL), 1992.

"STAR WARS X-WING" SERIES

The Krytos Trap, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.

Rogue Squadron, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.

Wedge's Gamble, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.

The Bacta War, Bantam (New York, NY), 1998.

Battleground: Tatooine, Dark Horse Comics (Milwaukie, OR), 1998.

The Phantom Affair, Dark Horse Comics (Milwaukie, OR), 1998.

The Warrior Princess, Dark Horse Comics (Milwaukie, OR), 1998.

(With Steve Crespo, James W. Hall, and Drew Johnson) Blood and Honor, Dark Horse Comics (Milwaukie, OR), 1999.

In the Empire's Service, Dark Horse Comics (Milwaukie, OR), 1999.

Isard's Revenge, Bantam (New York, NY), 1999.

Requiem for a Rogue, Dark Horse Comics (Milwaukie, OR), 1999.

Masquerade, Dark Horse Comics (Milwaukie, OR), 2000.

Mandatory Retirement, Dark Horse Comics (Milwaukie, OR), 2001.

"STAR WARS: THE NEW JEDI ORDER" SERIES

Dark Tide I: Onslaught, Del Rey (New York, NY), 2000.

Dark Tide II: Ruin, Del Rey (New York), 2000.

"DRAGONCROWN WAR CYCLE" SERIES

The Dark Glory War: A Prelude to the DragonCrown War Cycle, Bantam (New York, NY), 2000.

Fortress Draconis, Bantam (New York, NY), 2001. When Dragons Rage, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2002.

"MECHWARRIOR DARK AGE" SERIES

Ghost War, Roc, 2002.

"BATTLETECH" SERIES

Bred for War, New American Library (New York, NY), 1995.

Malicious Intent, New American Library (New York, NY), 1996.

The Twilight of the Clans II: Grave Covenant, New American Library (New York, NY), 1997.

Prince of Havoc, Roc, 1998.

Warrior: Coupe, Roc, 1998.

"REALMS OF CHAOS" SERIES

A Hero Born, Harper Mass Market Paperbacks (New York, NY), 1997.

An Enemy Reborn, Harper Mass Market Paperbacks (New York, NY), 1998.

OTHER

(Editor, with Liz Danforth) Mages Blood and Old Bones, Flying Buffalo (Scottsdale, AZ), 1992.

Talion: Revenant, Spectra (New York, NY), 1997.

Eyes of Silver, Spectra (New York, NY), 1998.

I, Jedi, Bantam (New York, NY), 1998.

(Contributor) Magic: The Gathering Distant Planes, Harper Collins Canada (Toronto, ON), 1999.

(With Timothy Zahn and Carlos Ezquerra) Star Wars—Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand, Dark Horse Comics (Milwaukie, OR), 1999.

Star Wars: Union, Dark Horse Comics (Milwaukie, OR), 2000.

GAMES

Citybook I, Flying Buffalo (Scottsdale, AZ), 1983.

Stormhaven, Flying Buffalo (Scottsdale, AZ), 1984.

Wasteland, Interplay Productions (Los Angeles, CA), 1988.

Neuromancer, Interplay Productions (Los Angeles), 1989.

Wolf and Raven, Roc, 1998.

(Author of foreword) Core Rulebook (Star Wars Role Playing Game), Wizards of the Coast (Renton, WA), 2000.

Author of nonfiction books on gaming. Work represented in anthologies, including Shrapnel, FASA Corp., 1988; Into the Shadows, FASA Corp., 1990; An Armory of Swords, edited by Fred Saberhagen, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1995; Warriors of Blood and Dreams, Avon (New York, NY), 1995; Superheroes, Ace (New York, NY), 1995; and Insufficient Evidence: Distant Planes, Harper, 1996.

Contributor of short stories to magazines, including Amazing Stories, Challenge, Star Wars Adventure Journal, Kage, Autoduel Quarterly, and Space Gamer.

SIDELIGHTS: As a prolific writer and creator of computer games, Michael A. Stackpole relies heavily on the science fiction universe for inspiration and tradition. His numerous books make up various series, some of his own creation, and others drawn from existing fictional worlds, as in his "Star Wars" series. In either case, reviewers are generally impressed with Stackpole's efforts. Reviewing 1998's I, Jedi, a critic for Publishers Weekly praised the novel as "lavish" and found the hero, Corran Han, to be "a more complex protagonist than many, formidably competent but with believable limitations." Roland Green of Booklist commented on the secondary characters, noting that that it is "unusual and pleasurable to see Luke, Leia, and Han as comparative bit players in the SW [Star Wars] universe."

Years of writing science fiction novels apparently have not dulled Stackpole's ability to write innovative stories, if the reviews of 2001's Fortress Draconis are any indication. Booklist's Paula Luedtke declared, "With a deliciously evil antagonist and some truly remarkable supporting characters, this is a terrific read." Jackie Cassada of Library Journal regarded the books as "a solid addition to the epic fantasy genre." A reviewer for Publishers Weekly made special mention of the novel's exciting conclusion, commenting, "As usual, Stackpole provides a compelling and engaging escape."

Stackpole once told CA: "My writing process is pretty basic. I tend to work in three-hour blocks, morning and afternoon, usually turning out a chapter per session. I work very fast by comparison with many of my peers. It is often suggested that a writer who works fast cannot do good work, but I think that's utterly fallacious. People in all manner of professions work at different speeds and, in almost all of them, efficiency and speed is considered a good thing. Whether I write well when writing fast is a matter for each reader to decide.

"I believe that writers and readers are involved in an elaborate game of 'Name That Tune.' A reader's job is to say to himself, 'Okay, it's page ninety-seven, and I know how this story will end.' The writer's job is to keep laying the story out in a manner that precludes the reader from being right. When it is done correctly, the reader can look back and find all the clues laid out there. While I seldom reread novels myself, I know my readers do, so I like to toss in little details that emerge only on a second or third read.

"My motivations for writing are simple. I want to write the kind of story I like to read. I want to create stories that entertain the readers. I want to make readers feel for characters and care about what happens to them because, by involving a reader on an emotional level, a book can allow the reader to experience things that are outside the purview of a normal life. I also write for money, because bills have to be paid.

"Much of my work is set in brand-name universes, areas where other writers refuse to work because they think they will be too restricted. I don't feel restricted, because I do my research and learn very quickly what is out of bounds and what areas I am free to explore. I also make a corner of that universe my own, so I am at home there and can tell the kind of story I like to tell. Readers bring to these books a set of assumptions about the kind of story that will be told, and that allows me to thwart them, distract them, and ultimately surprise them. No one really wants to read a story in which they know what will happen, so I constantly work at exploding preconceptions while providing an entertaining story.

"A number of writers have influenced me. From Edgar Rice Burroughs I learned how to structure a plot, and I got a refresher course in that from Frederick Forsyth. Walter Gibson, Lester Dent, and Rex Stout all showed me how to make fascinating characters from individuals who are largely unknowable. J. R. R. Tolkien showed how a contemporary author can tap into the elements of myth, Dennis L. McKiernan and Stephan Donaldson showed how it could be done differently and better, and Roger Zelazny showed how the use of detail can suggest whole universes.

"Much of my work is military in nature. I find warfare fascinating and decidedly terrifying. Except for a natural disaster, war is the most catastrophic thing that can happen to a human being. Despite its horrors, war is a crucible that creates heroes, and it is their stories that I like to tell. My books don't praise war, but they praise the triumph of individuals over war.

"I also include politics in my books, because I find the games people play to obtain and preserve power are very interesting. Political maneuvering often resembles a game of chess, with gambits set up, exchanges offered, and traps set. The fun part about stories is that, every so often, a pawn can stand up and refuse to be used. Politics is not an exact science, and that makes it tricky to deal with and fun to write about (and vilifying politicians is so cathartic!)."